Shoes
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*note: mild spoilers regarding the Sei arc
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"Um, Yona?"
Yona looked up from the sleek arrow that she had been turning over in her hands. Yun was watching her with skeptical eyes as he stirred the stew that he was preparing for dinner. "What is it, Yun?" she asked hesitantly.
Yun sighed, setting his wooden spoon along the rim of the pot. "How much longer do you plan on walking around the country in those shoes?"
"My shoes?" She looked down at her feet. "What's wrong with them?"
"Other than the fact that I've had to repair the soles four times this month already and they're still falling apart?" Yun lowered his eyes to Yona's feet as well. "Not to mention that they are barely shoes for this kind of stuff in the first place! They don't cover your ankles so your feet are always scratched up!"
Yona shrugged, running her finger along the arch of her foot. "I guess I never really thought about it."
"Never thought about it?" Yun rolled his eyes. "Geez, Princess. If weekly foot treatments and fixing your shoes up all the time isn't a red-flag then I don't know what is."
"With everything that's been going on recently with the whole nadai incident and the Sei Empire has left me feeling a bit more humble," she murmured, running her finger along the groove of her arrow until she reached the tip of the blade. "I was just relieved that Lily and I were able to escape with our lives...you don't really need shoes if you're dead, ya know?"
A bowl was suddenly shoved into Yona's lap; startled, she looked up to where Yun didn't even bother to shield his mild blush as he slopped more stew into another bowl. "Regardless, you still need some better footwear, especially with winter quickly approaching." He slouched slightly, taking on an annoyed appearance though Yona knew better. "I guess we're going to have to go into town tomorrow after all. What a pain."
Yona giggled into her sleeve. "You're too cute, Yun."
"I'm not merely cute, alright? I'm gorgeous." He cast her a sidelong glance with a cocky grin. Obviously he had been spending too much time around Hak and Jae-ha.
"Whatever you say."
…
"I like these ones, Miss!"
"Those won't work, Zeno!" Yun shot down.
"How about these, Princess?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Thunder Beast! She needs to be able to move around!" Yun snapped.
"I think she should try this on!"
Yun didn't even have enough time before Kija exclaimed in horror, "The princess can't wear something so revealing and indecent! Besides, we're shoe shopping, not encouraging her to partake in naughty habits!"
Yona laughed off to the side where she was sitting on a soft pillow. Several pairs of rejected shoes were in a semicircle around her. Even though so far the trip into the village had been a bust, she was having a fun time trying on the shoes her friends kept handing her. It brought back a sense of nostalgia from when she would parade around the castle in her late mother's clothes for Hak and Su-Won to see.
"Can somebody just find her a pair of boots, please?" Yun groaned it exhausted frustration. "Something sturdy but comfortable."
"Preferably waterproof as well I assume." Jae-ha scanned the shelves but nothing that would serve their purpose was jumping out at him.
"I don't know, Yun, I kinda like these ones." Yona stood up on a pair of purple shoes that lifted her several inches off of the ground.
"Those won't work in snow, Yona!" Yun shot back. She ignored him and did a twirl, her cape fluttering around her.
Kija clapped, grinning. "Very pretty, Princess!"
"I'm impressed that you were able to keep yourself from falling over in those things, Princess," Hak said, dodging Yona's attempt at punching him in the arm.
"I'll make you fall over!" She growled, trying to punch him again, but Hak evaded her for the second time.
"Ooh! Oh! Miss!" Zeno trotted up and held out a pair dark brown boots lined with rabbit fur into Yona's hands. "Zeno followed kid's instructions and Zeno found some warm shoes! Hopefully they'll fit the miss."
"Hey, not bad, Zeno," Jae-ha approved, patting the boy on the head.
"Not so fast, Droopy Eyes." Hak nodded toward Yona who was desperately trying to shove her foot into one of the boots despite it obviously being too small. "Geez, Princess, I knew you were gaining some of your weight back but I didn't realize it was wall going to your fee-"
"I will end you!" Yona exclaimed, an embarrassed blush present as she threw a nearby shoe at Hak as hard she could. She was disappointed when it missed by several feet and he just flashed her a smug grin.
Zeno frowned dramatically, his face resembling that of a bass. "Zeno is sorry, Miss! Zeno wished they were your size!"
"It's okay, Zeno," Yona comforted with a smile.
Kija smiled broadly, fisting his dragon hand into a fist of determination. "Don't fret, brother! We will find something for the Princess!"
"Do you guys mind hurrying up?" Hak asked. He was sitting on the ground with his back pressed up against the wall. Despite his bored expression, he looked pretty comfortable. "If we spend any more time in here, we're going to start attracting attention."
"The Thunder Beast is right," Yun agreed. "We need to find something to at least accommodate her for the time being until we can find something better."
"It's okay, Yun," Yona insisted. "I don't need new shoes now. And winter isn't for at least another two months-"
"Hey, has anyone seen Shinah?" Jae-ha interrupted. "He was just here."
The group took a moment to survey the small tent and the people bustling past them, but sure enough there was no blue dragon in sight. "How the heck does that happen?" Yun exclaimed. "He's the most conspicuous of you all and we lose him?"
"Should we go search for him?" Yona asked.
"Probably not," Hak replied calmly. "He knows we're here so he might panic if we're not when he comes back."
Kija pursed his lips. "Yeah, but where could he have run-"
"Shinah!"
"Ah!" Kija jumped, noticing Shinah's reappearance beside him all of a sudden. "Brother," he rested a hand on the blue dragon's shoulder, "where did you go?"
Shinah silently held up a pair of boots identical to the ones Zeno found only in a larger size. He tapped his mask. "I...saw them. Other...store."
Yona accepted the new shoes and hugged Shinah around the waist, making him stiffen slightly. "Thank you, Shinah."
Shouting and the squawking of animals rose from the center of the village market and progressively was growing louder. Hak laughed weakly. "Say, Shinah, you paid for those boots right?" he asked.
Shinah visibly stiffened even more. Yona smiled through the second hand embarrassment.
Yun groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I try to do something nice and this happens. You lot are such a pain."
...
12/28/16